


Take You Home

by amongthieves



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Fake Marriage, Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M, basically the whole office gets a piece in this fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-12
Updated: 2014-06-12
Packaged: 2018-02-04 08:51:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1773115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amongthieves/pseuds/amongthieves
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gavin Free's visa is about to expire and Ryan Haywood manages to come up with a quick and easy solution. At least, it seems easy enough until things start to fall apart.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Take You Home

i.

Gavin’s visa is expired, or something along those lines (lawyers can be very confusing explaining the ‘why’, but they get straight to the point of the ‘what’). Either way, he has to go back to England. Back to where he doesn’t want to be. The lawyers shrug, and walk away, leaving Gavin standing with his shoulders slumped, his peppy mood crumbling away as Burnie puts his hand on his shoulder. “We’ll figure this out, I promise.”

He pushes Burnie’s hand away and storms out of the room, ears ringing and head full of thoughts. There’s nothing for him in England. Austin is home. This is home. Rooster Teeth is his dream, and he can’t just let it go.

Quietly, without drawing any attention, he slips out to the back of the warehouse, finds an unoccupied desk, sits down, and begins to cry. Everyone’s already gone home. It’s late.

It’s too late. Gavin has to go back. (He doesn’t want to.)

ii.

Ryan returns to his desk to find Gavin an absolute mess of a runny nose and bloodshot eyes.

"What are you doing here?" Gavin manages to spit out, covering his face with his hands as he lets his head hang.

"Well, this is my desk, y’know." Ryan points at the name tag, and Gavin inadvertently laughs at ‘The Mad King’. Just a silly joke, and now it sits on this professional desk as a title.

"I’m sorry, I’ll move-"

"What’s wrong?"

"I have to leave. My visa’s been cut short. Some government bullshit that-"

"No. You don’t have to leave. We’ll…" Ryan’s deep voice trails off and he holds his chin in his hands. He hums for a moment and Gavin knows that face. The "don’t-interrupt-me-I’m-scheming-a-dastardly-plot" kind of face. Gavin waits in silence, listening to the tick of the clock echo through the large warehouse. "How much do you trust me?"

Gavin shrugs, his mouth in a straight line. Ryan watches closely as the corners of his lips turn upwards the slightest bit. “Enough.”

Ryan laughs quietly and drops down to his knee.

"Will you marry me, Gavin?"

iii.

They play the role of fake husbands well. 

No one in the office questions it, in fear of Ryan tinkering with their belongings. In fact, it seems all too accepted in the office. Gavin clearly remembers Michael and Lindsay saying, “I knew it was going to happen!” at the same time. It was slightly embarrassing.

But it worked.

Gavin’s visa is under revision and he’s able to continue working. As long as his and Ryan’s marriage is legitimate. Which, of course, it isn’t. But no one had to know. Except the immigration lawyers. They have questions for the two.

iv.

"Where did we first meet?" Ryan’s leaning back in his sofa, relaxed with a bottle of beer in one hand and the TV remote in the other. Gavin sits at the other end, watching him.

"The office, duh. You said I looked pretty." Ryan narrows his eyes at him, but Gavin smiles. "That’s actually true. It was one of the first things you said to me."

"I was joking.”

"Were you though?"

The kid’s got a point.

v.

The first night that Gavin moves in and brings all of his garbage, Ryan drags out his pillow and a blanket from the closet to throw on the couch. “I’ll sleep out here, and you can sleep in the bedroom.”

“What, why?” Gavin’s squeaky voice pipes up and he stands in the doorway, watching Ryan build his makeshift bed for the next however long.

“Because I don’t have a guest bedroom and I signed up for this. It’s fine. It’s a good bed.” Ryan stretches before he sits down on the sofa. Gavin’s still watching him, a bag of his belongings in his hand.

“Would we not fit on it together?”

“Well… yeah but I figured-”

“I’m not kicking out you of your bed, you tosspot. Come on, we can share. Remember sharing, Ryan? Sharing is caring!”

“Don’t ever use that tone again.” Ryan shudders and picks up his pillow, brushing past Gavin into the bedroom. Hairs rise on the back of his neck as he throws his pillow back in its original spot. “Or else.”

“Or else what?” Gavin steps up to him with a cheeky little grin, drops his bag to the floor, and folds his arms over his chest.

“Or else…” In one big swoop, Ryan picks up the tiny Brit and tosses him onto the bed. Gavin howls with laughter as Ryan tickles him, fingers wriggling around under his armpits, moving to his side, pushing him further into the mattress. It only lasts a matter of seconds before Gavin kicks him in the stomach, and he slumps into the spot next to him.

“Oops.” Gavin rolls over and goes to touch Ryan, but he holds up his hand.

“I’ll-…be… alright. Just- ugh.”

vi.

Ryan’s the first one to get up when the sun cracks through the blinds that are left open, even though he asked Gavin to close them when he came to bed. A weight is draped over his chest and when he finally blinks his eyes open, he sees that it’s Gavin’s arm.

Feels him curled up against his side, snoring softly, scruff gently tickling the spot where the arm of his t-shirt meets his skin.

It makes him feel warm, as if he were lying in the backyard on a hot summer’s day. But it’s just Gavin’s presence. Gavin’s warmth.

Removing himself from Gavin, Ryan shivers when his feet touch the cold wooden floor.

vii. 

Holding hands isn’t as bad as Gavin thought it would be. It’s nice and warm, sometimes sweaty.

They don’t do it around the office as much, but they find small moments to bump hips, kiss each other on the cheek when others are watching. They keep it toned down, but they’re newly engaged. It’s expected of them to show their physical affections in public. Even when Michael and Lindsay first announced their engagement, they couldn’t keep their hands off each other in the office.

So Ryan kisses him properly front of a crowd full of people. Lips kind of chapped and warm against his. Gavin doesn’t pull back. It’s a challenge. To see who can be more realistic with this relationship.

Ryan doesn’t see it as a challenge at all.

viii.

Gavin’s eyes remind him of Austin in the spring, all bright and green after the first day of rain. Or like a Stella Artois glass bottle that he holds between his fingers, drinking when he feels too tired to do anything and too awake to sleep.

His beard has small blonde hairs amid the mass of brown whiskers, and Ryan points it out one day and Gavin shouts in embarrassment, “I do not!”

Like it’s more embarrassing than the fact they’re pretending to get married when they’re only just friends.

Maybe a little more than friends.

Ryan holds his tongue on voicing the thought.

ix. 

They find snuggling to be oddly comforting with the stress of the lawyers and the workload they’ve taken on. Both try to stay busy, and even the ‘wedding’ takes time out of their hands. They don’t want anything showy, to make matters worse for their lie. So they decide to go to the court house and get it done without wasting too much money.

Lindsay wants to throw them a reception, and Gavin thinks it would be fun. Ryan can already picture Gavin soaking up the attention like the little attention-seeking dick he is.

But when Gavin talks about the details with Lindsay, Ryan likes the way Gavin’s face lights up. It’s almost as if he’s talking about a real wedding where a real marriage takes place and the two people actually love each other.

Ryan starts to think this isn’t such a great idea.

x.

"So, we’ll just get divorced in two years, right? You know, ‘divorced’." Gavin makes quotation marks in the air as Ryan prepares dinner for the two. The Brit leans against the counter, wearing one of the company t-shirts that clings to his steady frame. Ryan likes his own button up. It’s comfy. 

"Yeah. We could do that." Ryan moves the pan and serves the amazing smelling stirfry onto two plates. Gavin hovers over him, his chin resting on his shoulder as he inhales deeply. Ryan can practically hear him drooling over the sizzling noodles.

"Or what? What else can we do?" Gavin barely moves his head, but Ryan can feel his eyes on him. 

"Nothing, I guess. Divorce, two years. Better mark it on the calendar."

Gavin laughs and steals his plate away just seconds after Ryan finishes serving it.

xi.

"If you wanna see other people," Ryan says over his newspaper as they lay in bed, enjoying the beginning of their day off. Neither of them have bothered to get dressed out of their pjs. Even Gavin stripped down to his plain black boxers that cling tight to his hips. "You should probably wait until after the marriage. Can you wait a few more months to chase some bombshell at the bar? To be honest, Gavin, I’m not too fond of going to jail for fraud."

Gavin looks over at him, his mouth full of cereal with milk dripping out the corner of his mouth. He snorts and spits a quarter of it onto the bed, which Ryan glares at him for. “Sorry-“

"You better be."

After he cleans it up with a towel from the bathroom, he sits back down and continues to finish his cereal. He’s unaware of Ryan peeking out the corner of his eye, watching him smile at the TV at the end of the bed that Gavin brought from his place.

When he laughs, Ryan’s heart flutters for the smallest second that he wonders if it ever fluttered at all.

"I don’t want to see anyone else. I’m perfectly content with this relationship we have going on."

Yeah. It definitely skipped a beat or maybe five. It might have been a heart attack and he didn’t feel it.

"Me too."

They exchange smiles reserved just for the two of them.

xii.

It’s hot outside and sweltering inside, even with the fan pointed directly at them with bags of ice on their head. And in front of the fans. Basically, Gavin has laid out ice wherever he thinks is best.

"It’s just going to leave a mess." Ryan grumbles, head throw back over the back of the sofa and he feels the sweat run down the side of his face. He glances to his right and watches Gavin take off his sweat soaked shirt, grinning as wide as Ryan’s ever seen as they make eye contact.

"What are you lookin’ at?" Gavin’s all teeth as he saunters over and Ryan shrugs.

"Nothing, appartently. Man, I thought you hit the gym."

"You should know. We’re married.” Gavin laughs and stands in front of Ryan, hands on his hips.

"That we are, honey.” Ryan smirks up at him and reaches out quickly, earning a loud yelp from Gavin. His hands are slick on Gavin’s exposed skin, and they’re instantly too hot as they tangle up on the sofa, pushing each other down into the cushions. Breathless, Gavin struggles to remove himself from Ryan’s playful grip but ends up spending most of his energy on yelling and complaining.

"Oh come on, you cheeky little smegpot! Ugh! Haven’t you got anything better to-" And then Ryan plays his end game card. His fingers find the spot on Gavin’s side and he begins to tickle. Gavin howls and kicks his legs, using all his strength to throw them to the floor.

Ryan lets out a gasp as he hits the floor with Gavin on top of him. They laugh it off, but don’t move.

xiii.

He kisses him.

xiiv.

They’re not entirely sure who initiated the kiss but it doesn’t matter because they’re all tongue and teeth, clashing together; it’s like they’re trying to suck the life out of the other and Gavin seems to be pretty sloppy at it.

Somewhere, Ryan thinks, “What are we doing?”

And doesn’t realize he says it aloud. But Gavin doesn’t say anything and the remainder of their clothes end up pooled on the floor and they don’t bother moving to the bed, because the fan’s cold on their damp skin.

Ryan kisses every inch of him. Covers him in his mouth. Wraps his lips around him. 

Gavin doesn’t mind.

He still doesn’t mind when they get dressed after and in their stupor, go into the backyard and spray each other down with the hose. Ryan can’t remember the last time he’s laughed this hard outside of work and it makes his chest tight and his stomach churn.

Another two years and this will be all over.

Ryan starts to mind.

xv.

The office throws them a congratulations party and it’s exactly the opposite of what Ryan needs. 

Gavin revels in it.

There are paper lanterns hung among the Rooster Teeth office and candles all over the place, and it looks like some fancy interior design magazine puked up all the decorations. Ryan blames Lindsay. Blames her because he kind of likes it but hates it at the same time.

Food and alcohol is bottomless, and Ryan finds himself smiling whenever Gavin picks up something new and over reacts every time.

"This is amazing!"

"That was utter crap."

"Ryan, oh my God! You have to try this.” And Ryan doesn’t get much of a say before Gavin’s cramming it into his mouth, and the people around give them that sickening awed look. Look at those two assholes in love. Look how lucky they are. Ryan sees it in their happy faces.

It makes him feel a bit guilty.

When he gets a moment, he steps outside to leave Gavin’s side for just a moment. He inhales sharply, taking in the fresh air, hoping to rid of his throbbing headache. He should be happy. He should be so happy.

Gavin doesn’t seem to mind. Gavin needs this.

Ryan guesses this is what cold feet is like, and it feels miserable.

"Hey."

Ryan looks over his shoulder to see Geoff step up beside him, a bottle of beer in his hands. ”Hey.” 

"How’s it going, Mr. Groom?" Geoff grins, his smile pushing up his curled mustache. "Feeling the cold feet yet?"

Ryan snorts and reaches for Geoff’s drink, taking a swig before handing it back. “You must know the feeling.”

"Not really." Geoff eyes him, his face completely unreadable. "When I married Griffon, I didn’t have a doubt in the world. Especially with Millie on the way-"

"Wait, you-"

"Yeah. Come on man, do the math. Should be obvious. I married her ‘cause I loved her, but I wanted that family. Dude, I’ve never wanted anything as much as that family in my life. It’s-…" Geoff pauses and things for a moment, his face lighting up. "People say getting married is repetitive and shit. Boring, I guess? But it’s not. I married my best friend, man. And it’s fucking great. Griffon’s great, Millie’s great. We’re all great together. You get what I’m saying?"

Ryan stares off past the parking lot to the setting sun, watching the colours mix in the sky. It’s a kind of wonderful thing that he wants to share with Gavin. He wonders if Gavin wants to share wonderful things with him too. “Yeah. I do. Thanks. I needed that.”

"I know. That’s why I didn’t waste no time with that how’s it going shit. Here, take this. I’ll grab another one inside." Geoff offers him the beer, but shakes his head. It’s a Stella Artois. Green. Gavin. "Alright, suit yourself, buddy."

xvi.

"Gavin, my boi! How’s it going, man?" Michael comes rushing over, holding two glasses of champagne. 

"Top, Michael! Just top!" 

Michael offers one of the glasses to Gavin, who takes it with a dainty hand and tries to speak in a fancy manner. “Why, thank you, Michael. How lovely.”

"To fucking marriage, dude." Michael raises his glass and they clink the glass together, taking quick sips of the bubbly. Gavin immediately coughs and hacks, nose turning up at the taste. 

"That is gross."

"Yeah, well, you’re gross." Gavin giggles and Michael laughs, and they both stare out at the crowd of people mingling, drinking another when they shouldn’t. 

"Y’know, I’ve come to realize every event that we throw is just another excuse to get drunk." Michael takes another finishing sip before he replaces Gavin’s glass with his own empty, downing the rest of his.

"Sounds about right, actually."

Gavin looks over to see Michael staring at him, and he’s a bit taken back. Maybe it’s the alcohol, or maybe not. “What is it?”

"Nothing." Michael immediately look away, scanning the crowd for someone. "Say, where’s Ryan?"

"I don’t know, he stepped out for a moment. Why?" Michael shrugs, and Gavin frowns because he should know where his fiancé is. Before he can say anything else, Michael slaps his shoulder before moving into the crowd. Gavin sighs and turns around, coming face to face with Lindsay.

"So, are you seriously going to go to a courthouse and not let me do your wedding?"

They come to middle grounds and Gavin agrees to let her throw a small party after they get married in the evening.

(When Gavin tells Ryan later, Ryan groans and knows that Lindsay’s definition of a ‘small party’ isn’t what Gavin envisions).

xvii.

"If you hurt him, I swear to God."

"Who are you, his mother? Michael, come on now." Ryan scowls, hands in his pocket as he refuses to make eye contact. Michael catches this and Ryan knows it. He doesn’t care. Michael can make judgments all he wants and needs to, but it’s Gavin who makes the calls.

"Look, Gavin’s my best friend. He’s like, half your age-"

"Excuse me?" Ryan raises an eyebrow higher than he means too and Michael gives him a shit eating grin. "Screw you."

"Yeah, well. Just know what you’re getting him into, okay? I know he’s an adult and all that jazz, but he’s still a pretty stupid adult. I guess… I’m glad you kept him here. That’s all."

"Me too."

"Get your ass back in there." Michael points to the door, hand on his hip. It reminds him of how Gavin stood the other day, and he laughs when he realizes where Gavin gets it from.

"Yes, mom." Ryan salutes him before heading back inside to find his Gavin. 

He’s all too conscious of the sweat running down his neck and how he feels slightly dizzy, a little overwhelmed. The idea of Michael bringing the situation to light makes him feel at unease. 

xviii.

They don’t feel like cooking (at least, Ryan doesn’t – Gavin never cooks) so they order in Chinese food instead because Gavin wouldn’t shut up about his favourite Chinese place downtown. But Ryan can’t be half assed to leave the house right now in the mildly rainy weather.

So they sit down in the living room with the boxes sprawled out in front of them. Gavin digs into his mini personal buffet, shoveling down the food like he hadn’t ate just four hours ago.

“If I had a wedding reception, I would totally make a buffet of Chinese food. I mean, it’s better in England but-”

“Have you told anyone about your marriage back in England?” Ryan looks over at the kid, whose mouth is too full of noodles to speak. So he shrugs, and Ryan narrows his eyes. “Gavin.”

It takes him a moment, but he manages to chew his food in order to talk. Even if some of it is still in his mouth. “I told Dan and a few friends but- that’s about it. I don’t… know how to tell my parents. They were expecting… y’know, grandchildren.”

“Ah.” Ryan feels a tinge of guilt as he scoops up a spoonful of pork fried rice. “Well… maybe one day, right? But regardless, you have to tell them eventually. This won’t hold if your parents don’t know.”

“I know.” Gavin bites his lip, swallowing the rest of the noodles. He doesn’t hesitate in stealing a piece of sweet and sour pork out of Ryan’s plate.

Ryan lets him.

“I will.” Gavin takes a deep breath.

“It’ll be fine.”

This time, Gavin doesn’t reply and turns back to the TV, turning up the volume. Bo Burnham’s voice sings to them and Gavin doesn’t really laugh at the parts Ryan thinks are funny. In fact, he doesn’t really laugh at all.

xix.

It’s late and they’re leaving the bar. Gavin can’t help but stumble into the hard concrete wall, an absolute mess of laughter and high pitched giggles. “Look at me, Ryan! I’m so drunk I can’t even stand.” And he laughs like it’s the funniest thing. Ryan steps in before Gavin can do anything ridiculously stupid.

“Hey, come on. You didn’t drink that much.” Ryan wrinkles his nose when the stench of alcohol hits him hard when Gavin starts to speak. “Nevermind.”

“I sneaked a few when you weren’t looking.”

Ryan gives him a look that Gavin calls the dad look. It’s stern, but understanding. Hard but instantly forgiving. It’s the ‘we-will-talk-about-this-later’ face (which Gavin never takes seriously).

Cars drive by them and Gavin turns to gag in the side alley, which has Ryan groaning, “For the love of anything holy.” He doesn’t really have a choice when Gavin slides down the brick wall, covering his mouth. In the dark, Ryan can see that he doesn’t look too good. “C’mon you.” Ryan crouches down and somehow manages to get Gavin to crawl onto his back.

He feels ridiculous. Pigging-backing a twenty something year old down the clubbing district that Gavin was so keen on going to, even though he knows Ryan isn’t much of a dancing and yelling over loud music kind of guy. So they ended up at a bar neither of them had been too, and it was okay with just the two of them.

He just wishes he had kept tabs on how much Gavin had drank. This is giving him a backache.

“Y’know, Ry- I could get used to this marriage. You make a good husband.” Gavin lolls his head around on Ryan’s shoulder, nuzzling his neck time to time. Ryan tries to shrug it off, but he gives up after the third time.

It’s nice.

“Yeah well, you make a pretty shitty husband, Gavin.”

“I’m sorry. I’m new to this.”

Ryan pauses, thinking Gavin’s words over. “It’s okay. I won’t forgive you in the morning though when you act like a hung over jerk.”

“It’s okay. I’m not so bad in the morning…” Gavin trails off on his last few words and before Ryan can ask him if he’s doing alright, a soft snore vibrates in his right ear.

“Hey, come on now. That’s not fair. I’m tired too.”

But Gavin doesn’t wake. Not even when Ryan flags down a cab and stuffs him inside. Not when the cab drops them off at his house and he hauls him back out, carrying him bridal style through the front door. He grips onto him hard, making sure he doesn’t drop him as he pushes the door open with his foot and walks inside. It doesn’t’ take him long to maneuver through the dark to his bedroom.

He sets Gavin down carefully and returns with a glass of water and aspirin for the morning. As Gavin snores loudly, Ryan stands at the side of bed, unsure of what to do with himself. With a heavy sigh and after much internal debating, he kisses the Brit on the forehead and walks out to the couch.

It’s not as comfortable at the bed, but it’ll do.

xx.

He should have just stayed in the bed. He wakes to find Gavin asleep on his chest, both of their legs falling off the side of the sofa.

He strokes Gavin’s hair before smiling and falling back asleep.

xxi.

Gavin kissed someone else that wasn’t Ryan.

He forgets about it.

The other person doesn’t.

xxii.

Gavin stands at the end of Ryan’s desk in the warehouse and it’s painfully quiet that Ryan could hear Gavin the minute he opened the door. They both look at each other awkwardly and neither want to say the first word and Ryan can see Gavin literally holding his breath.

“Gavin-”

Gavin exhales heavily and looks at the floor and back at Ryan, his cheeks pink. “I’m sorry. I messed up- Oh I don’t know… I’m scared. I like you a lot and I don’t want to lose this friendship after everything we’ve been through. I don’t want to go back home. My life is here-” He grits his teeth, getting his words in order. Ryan can see him struggling, eyebrows burrowed, cheeks reddening. “Rooster Teeth was my dream and I’ve finally got it and I don’t want to go back to England for that long.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I told my parents.”

It wasn’t what Ryan expected.

“They’re okay with it. They’re really okay with it.”

It definitely wasn’t what Ryan expected.

“They want to come and see. They want to be invited. Can we do that? Can we invite them to this wedding that’s a complete toss up? What if they can tell?” And Ryan watches as Gavin works himself up, watches as he begins to tremble and stutter.

Slowly, Ryan stands from his desk and walks around to gently place his hands on Gavin’s shoulder. “Hey, Gav?”

“What?” Gavin takes a moment to stop at raise his head to look at Ryan.

“I love you.” He kisses him. Soft and slow, chapped lips. He’s tired and groggy and he can feel it in the kiss but it doesn’t feel like Gavin minds because he kisses him right back.

Even though no one’s watching.

“Trust me. It’ll be okay.”

“Okay.” Gavin nods and begins to laugh, tears on the brink of falling. Ryan doesn’t allow it. He kisses him again. And again.

And again.

He doesn’t stop because he doesn’t know how to anymore. Even if Gavin won’t say it back.

xxiii.

It sticks with him. He imagines the words sliding off Gavin’s British tongue, but he can’t quite hear it in his head.

Wonders if he’ll ever hear it.

Maybe he was crazy to say it in the first place.

It’s not like he’s felt that way for only three months.

A year. It’s almost been a year. The thought makes him sick to his stomach as he watches Gavin laughing with Michael about a joke he didn’t quite hear.

He turns back to his game station and leans back on the couch.

xxiv.

It’s late into the night that he’s still on the couch, mouse clicking all over the place as he starts to convert one of the new Let’s Plays. Geoff packs up his things and salutes to both him and Gavin.

“Take care, you shit bags. See you tomorrow. Try not to make too much of a mess of this room. Y’know what. Forget I said that. Just-…” Geoff pauses in the doorway, his mouth in a tight line. Gavin grins widely at him, waggling his eyebrows. “You fuck off, you prick.” Geoff closes the door on his way out and Gavin laughs, blowing kisses at Ryan.

“Let’s do it on Geoff’s desk.”

“You wanna?” Ryan grins at him and Gavin laughs in reply, waving his hand at him.

“No, no. That’s mean, I don’t want to get fired.”

Even when they fall silent and turn to their computers, faces all grins, there’s still more to be said and done. When Gavin stands, Ryan watches out the corner of his eye. Watches as he crosses a few steps to stand beside the sofa and pushes the small table his laptop stands on out of the way. Watches as he straddles his lap.

Feels his heart rumble like thunder in his chest as Gavin kisses him first.

Can’t stop his hands from sliding up his shirt, pressed hot against his skin. It doesn’t take much of Gavin Free to get him going. His mouth slides against his jaw, kisses his ear and bites down on his neck gently. They keep their moans quiet and muffled and Ryan pushes Gavin off him and into the couch. It reminds him of the time he woke up with Gavin on top of him.

This time, they’re not sleeping.

They’re fully aware and kissing, grabbing for each other. Teeth clashing together as they desperately try to slide their tongues into their mouths, and Ryan feels his collar getting too hot and Gavin kisses him in a way he didn’t think he could.

xxv.

They make their way home after closing documents and saving files for round two. This time, Ryan insists that Gavin tops.

xxvi.

Geoff narrows his eyes at them when they show up in the afternoon with as much work done as when Geoff left. Gavin shrugs without an apology and Ryan quietly sits down at his desk without causing much of a stir.

“Alright, are all you assholes here?” Geoff looks around before looking at Lindsay holding the camera. “So, this episode of ‘Go’… What number is it?”

And they continue the day like normal.

They compete for the pizza, jokes are cracked, and Geoff occasionally scolds them for being little pricks for not getting last night’s work done but it’s all light-hearted. He remembers the talk they had at the wedding, and it comforts Ryan the tiniest bit.

“Alright, congratulations Jack! Go eat your pizza by yourself somewhere else. How many times has this been? Like, three times in a row? You suck. That’s it, I’m retiring ‘Go’.” Geoff scoffs and Jack laughs, grinning widely as he gives two thumbs up to the camera.

Everything is like usual.

After the camera is switched off, there’s a knock at the door and everyone looks over to see Burnie. “Hey, assholes. Get your work done, make us some money with your video game shenanigans.”

“Yes, sir!” Michael shouts from the back at the room.

Ray looks at him with eyebrows raised. “Suck up.”

“Shut the fuck up, Ray. No one cares about what you say.” Loud banter breaks out in the corner of their room and Ryan looks at Geoff, rolling his eyes.

“Hey, Gavin- can I talk to you?” Burnie gestures him out of the room and Gavin nods, getting up from his chair. Ryan watches him go without saying anything and turns back to watching Jack sit back down from putting his final sticker up.

xxvii.

Ryan goes to check on the video rendering in the warehouse when he hears Burnie’s hushed voice from a door cracked open slightly. He slows his steps to catch a piece of the conversation.

“I didn’t mean to kiss you-”

“How do you think Ryan would feel if he knew? You’re getting married, for Christ’s sake. This has got to stop.”

Ryan feels his heart stop, stomach drop. His chest tightens and his legs are unable to carry him past the door. He can’t help but listen in even further.

“I know- it was a while ago, alright? I care about Ryan a lot. I get it, you and I- it’s over. It was over. Old feelings came back and I didn’t know what to do… I missed Ryan. I didn’t want to kiss you. I wanted to kiss Ryan.”

“Then why the hell didn’t you go home and kiss Ryan? Should be pretty simple, Gavin.”

“I-…” Ryan hears the conversation come to a stop. “I love him. I’m scared.”

“Then go tell him that. Just-… fuck, Gavin. Not again, alright? I’m sorry I couldn’t talk about this earlier, I was busy with your lawyers. They said-”

And Ryan knows he doesn’t need to hear anymore because he’s heard enough.

He doesn’t really want to hear anymore anyways.

It makes him sick to his stomach.

xxviii.

“Maybe we shouldn’t do this.”

Gavin looks over at him, mouth agape. Ryan focuses on the road, driving them back to his house. The conversation with Burnie floats around in his head. It gives him a headache.

“It’s not fair.”

“What do you mean?” Gavin stammers slightly and his hand reaches out to touch Ryan’s arm. He can’t help but pull away from his touch. “Ryan?”

“To you. To me. This whole arrangement.”

Gavin bites his lip and looks away, tapping his fingers against the car window. The rain creates a mist that makes it nearly impossible for Ryan to see ten feet down the road so he drives slowly, breathes in slowly, chooses his words slowly and carefully.

“I think I was in over my head when I suggested this. I don’t want you to go home but I don’t want to put you through this. I heard- You can have your old relationships back. It’s okay. I didn’t mean to take that away from you. I had clue you were seeing each other, and it’s not fair to you to have that taken away.”

“What?” Gavin raises his voice and leans over towards him, his ears hot. “I don’t want to see him! You- so you heard. Okay, cool it, cool it.” Gavin leans back, taking in a deep breath. It’s ragged and shallow. “That was a while ago and you don’t need to worry about it happening again. I’m sorry, Ryan.”

They stop at a red light and Ryan can’t bring himself to look over.

Gavin tugs at his jacket and turns down the volume on the radio so the only thing they can hear is each other’s breathing and the fall of the rain on the windshield. It’s calming to both of them. Ryan sighs and looks over to see Gavin smiling slightly at him, his composure daring to break.

The car is dark and cold with only the blue glow of the dashboard dimly lighting their faces.

“Ry, you dummy. I love you. I’m okay with this. I’m so okay with this.” Gavin leans in halfway, willing Ryan to do the same.

And he does.

The car behind them honks its horn and they both jump to see the green light ahead of them. Ryan laughs awkwardly and drives them forward, pulling off to the side of the highway to undo his seatbelt and kiss Gavin the way he should have.

In the middle of their kiss, he pops open the glove department and grabs a condom. Gavin giggles for almost five minutes straight at the sight and humors him with a kiss before undoing Ryan’s jeans.

xxix.

Ryan still doesn’t think it’s fair. He doesn’t think he ever will. It makes him angry.

But the anger melts away when Gavin crawls into bed, presses his nose against the back of his shoulder and pulls him into a spooning position.

It’s going to be alright. It’s fair. It’s fair to the both of them.

It’s becomes his mantra. Everything will be okay. Gavin will be okay. This is okay. Okay?

Okay, goddamn it.

xxx.

The immigration lawyers quiz them out the ass.

It’s almost too easy.

“Where did you meet?”

“The Rooster Teeth offices, at one of the BBQ’s.”

“What do you plan to do after you get married?”

“Continue working at Rooster Teeth, consider getting a dog. We’re both dog people. Y’know, in case that’s a question.”

And the questions go on and on. They’re questioned separate from each other, and as Ryan waits outside for Gavin to finish, he finds himself chewing his nails for the first time in ten years. The waiting room is boring, the walls are beige the furniture looks like it’s from the 70’s. Ryan sticks his tongue out at the sofa, hoping it feels his disdain.

“What do you love about Mr. Haywood?”

Gavin blinks slowly, the question twisting his throat. “Well…” He huffs, playing with his fingers. He looks up at the lawyer with a sheepish grin and pink cheeks. “That’s easy.”

xxxi.

It only takes about ten minutes until Gavin steps back out and Ryan grabs him, pulling him into a tight hug. They stay in the hug for a few moments before Ryan kisses him, cupping his face in his hands, putting away the space between them. “How’d you do?” Ryan asks breathlessly as he pulls away and Gavin only smiles in reply before kissing him again.

xxxii.

Three days later and it’s quiet at the courthouse. They sign their names on a few pieces of paper that officially state that they’re married in the state of Texas. Gavin kisses Ryan, and that’s it. It’s done.

They’re married.

They leave the moment they get the chance and shove the marriage certificate into the glove compartment. The drive to the reception is slow, as Gavin holds Ryan’s stick shift hand the whole way there. 

xxxiii.

The reception is better than Ryan ever expected.

Gavin looks all too good in his black and white suit, and they both decided to go with the casual wedding theme. Except the rest of the office didn’t get the memo.

When they step into the reception room, both of their jaws drop (Gavin’s more than Ryan’s, Lindsay tells them later) and Ryan feels a warmth flood into his chest and he can’t be prouder of the people he works with. Immediately, he turns to look at Gavin’s reaction and they find themselves looking at each other and they laugh.

“Welcome, welcome! To the groom and the groom!” Geoff rings out, raising his glass of champagne to the two men standing at the door. Everyone, and it looks to be over fifty people, does the same.

“Cheers!” They all say in unison and Gavin is all smiles and Ryan can feel the energy basically radiating off him.

They take their time talking to people who’ve dressed up for the occasion, and Ryan is blown away at the effort put into their reception. Snazzy music plays in the background and alcohol is consistently served, along with little dishes of appetizers.

Gavin finds himself picking up a few too many pieces as he works up the courage to talk to his parents, who are kept in company by Burnie and Matt.

“So, do you like it?” Barbara, Lindsay, and Monty all sidle up to Ryan. He looks over at them and raises an eyebrow in a sinister fashion.

“Well… I don’t know… It’s pretty… Mediocre, at best.”

The three of them stare at him and he quickly says something else before they kidnap him and throw him into a river. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding! Jeez, guys. I love it. It’s great.” Their faces instantly relax and one by one, they wrap their arms around Ryan.

“We’re glad!” Monty smiles giddily. “The lanterns were my idea.”

“They were totally Miles’ idea, Monty!” Barbara shoots him a look and Lindsay looks away, biting her lip, on the verge of giggling.

“No way!”

Ryan finds himself slowly moving away without them noticing. Out the corner of his eye, he sees Gavin talking with his parents.

Taking a deep breath, he walks over to introduce himself.

And it goes better than planned.

“We’re ecstatic to see Gavin marrying someone as handsome as you!”

“He’s a good kid, he’s done well for himself.”

And Ryan can see they’re proud when they look at their son, and it makes his chest swell with pride. After they finish talking about the bland details of the courthouse, Ryan excuses himself and Gavin eyes him, silently pleading for him not to go.

So he stays and stands with Gavin as he talks aimlessly to please them. His mother drinks up every word of his.

She misses him. It’s easy to tell.

Ryan makes a mental note to take Gavin back to England in a month or so.

xxxiv.

When everyone is drunk enough to dance, Ryan feels comfortable enough to join Gavin on the dance floor.

“So tell me,” Ryan edges in with the cha-cha slide and Gavin looks absolutely mortified. “How many drinks have you had tonight?”

“I’ll have you know, my little sausage,” Gavin sing songs as he swings his hips to the sound of the generic pop music. “I haven’t had one bev tonight.”

“Oh, really now?” Ryan moves in slowly, gently putting his hands on Gavin’s waist, smiling sheepishly. “So… do you think you can dance with me without tripping over your feet?”

Gavin’s body slows down and the DJ picks up on the couple off to the side of the dance floor. A slow song picks up, and Ryan immediately recognizes it as one of the better songs on Gavin’s shitty iPod. Gavin finds himself flushing red as Ryan gently pulls him over and they take the floor, with everyone else moving to watch them.

“Honestly, this isn’t so bad.” Gavin mumbles as he takes Ryan’s hand in his and they raise it, doing the easiest slow dance they can manage.

“It’s the easiest dance I can do-”

“Not this. This.” And Gavin’s smile is the brightest Ryan’s ever seen it, makes him feel at ease with everyone’s eyes on them and their fake marriage. Really though, they’re just parading it in their face. “I like this. I can deal with this.”

“Yeah? Is that going to be possible? You’re in for the long haul, buddy. Any sign of a crumbling marriage and the immigration lawyers won’t be too happy. We could be sued for fraud.”

“I know, I know. We’ve gone over this. Rybread-” Gavin snorts at his clever nickname, not realizing he stole it from Michael. “I’m gonna be happy living with you, you tosspot.”

“Yeah well, I’m pretty happy with it too, stupid.”

Gavin bops him on the nose and they fall into a steady rhythm that lasts until the song comes to a quiet close.

The rest of the night falls away easily. They’re not pretending when they talk anymore.’

xxxv.

“I love you,” Ryan mumbles as he leans against the car, waiting for Gavin to leave the party.

xxxvi.

When he watches Gavin walk towards him, hair disheveled and tuxedo worn down from the night of erratic dancing, he doesn’t waste any time and reaching out for him and kissing him against the car window. The words are lost on his lips.

Gavin doesn’t flinch, doesn’t move away.

He kisses him back.

Kisses him back as if he were in a fevered frenzy, hands grabbing at the lapels of Ryan’s suit, pulling him closer, teeth sucking on the bottom of his lip. Ryan doesn’t protest either.

xxxvii.

They make their way to the hotel and not a moment of the décor is taken into notice. Instead, they shed their clothes and scramble on the bed, nails digging into flushed skin, breath heavy as they kiss each other into the mattress. They toss and turn together and Ryan growls into Gavin’s ears as he pulls him to sit in his lap.

“You’re mine, Mr. Free.”

“No, no way. Call me Mr. Haywood.”

Ryan laughs and kisses his neck, nipping gently. “You didn’t actually sign your name like that without telling me, did you?”

“No.” Gavin grins at him, wiggling under Ryan’s soft and drawn out kisses across his collarbone. Ryan worships Gavin’s skin, treats it like an altar as he draws slow, calm circles on his back. “But I like the sound of it. Gavin Haywood. It’s top.”

“Alright, alright, Mr. Haywood,” Ryan chuckles and grabs his hips, pulling him against his cock. “I’m going to ravish you tonight. You’re all mine and-”

Gavin cuts him off, pushing the words back down his throat with his tongue. “Shut up and fuck me.”

xxxviii.

“Fuck, Ryan – I love you.”

Ryan cups Gavin’s face, smiling widely as he presses their mouths together the way he’s wanted to ever since he first fell for the British idiot.

“I love you too.”

They find their rhythm and groove, bodies moving against each other, kissing and teasing, fingers circling the sensitive parts of their skin.

Ryan lets Gavin come first. He’s breathless as he arches his back and Ryan cleans him up, tongue rolling over the head of his cock, swallowing the sweat saltiness that is Gavino . It’s something he could get used to.

Gavin’s always comes first in his life.

He made that promise long before they signed those documents.

xxxvii.

The morning after (more like the afternoon, with how both of them sleep in), Ryan wakes first.

He wakes to remember they left the curtains open, letting the sun fall directly on his face. It spills into the room, illuminating them with a soft golden shine and it makes Gavin’s hair more blonde than it really is.

Gavin’s head rests on his chest, mouth wide open as he breathes loudly in his sleep. Already at the age of 24, Gavin’s a snorer. It makes Ryan wonder what he’s going to be like in his mid-thirties.

Maybe he’ll need glasses.

The thought makes him smile and Gavin stirs, eyes slowly fluttering open as he looks to Ryan.

His accent is groggy, but endearing. “Morning, love.”

“Morning to you too, sleepy head.” Ryan strokes his hair and Gavin lazily shrugs, letting his head fall back to his chest. “Hey, guess what?”

“What?” Gavin grumbles, moving his face to the crook of Ryan’s neck, pressing his body warmth against him.

“I love you.”

“Shut up.” His voice is muffled. Ryan pokes him in the shoulder and Gavin raises his head, narrowing his eyes before he sighs dramatically, falling into a genuine smile. “I love you too, you donut.”

“Yeah, you better.” Ryan’s happy smile turns mischievous as he rolls Gavin over, kissing his neck energetically. Gavin can’t help but squeal and try to push him off, laughing as they tumble in bed.

“No, you better!”

xl. (epilogue)

The hot sun beats down on Ryan’s back as he hops out of the car, the leash rattling in his hand as he moves to the backseat. The dog jumps out of the car and spins around on the concrete before Ryan calls him over. “Edgar, come here!” And the dog bounds over to him as he closes the door and heads inside the house.

He opens the door for the golden lab and grins as it immediately tracks into his home, nose sniffing around the living room.

“C’mere, Edgar, c’mere,” Ryan motions for Edgar to follow him and the dog happily bounds after him, tongue sticking out as they both head to the bedroom.

“Gavin, I’m home! I brought a friend!”

Gavin doesn’t get much of a chance to reply before Ryan pats the end of the end and the dog jumps up onto the sheets, trampling over Gavin’s feet.

“Woah! That’s a bloody dog!”

Edgar sniffs his way up to Gavin’s face and begins to lick at his nose. “Aww, come on- What’s his name?” Gavin snorts as the dog keeps pushing into him.

“Edgar. We’re not changing that.” Ryan laughs as he calls the dog down and Gavin looks at him with a raised eyebrow.

“Wait- are you saying…?”

“Instead of kids. Yeah. He’s only two years old, I figured we could handle that.”

Gavin wipes at his face with the sheets and slides out of bed. “You really are an evil genius, I hope you do know that. After everything. Mad King Ryan.”

“Well I’m your king, baby.” Ryan shoots him the finger pistols, squinting one eye.

“Kings don’t have guns, you pleb!” Gavin drags him into bed and as Ryan finds himself kissing him, he pulls away.

“But I do have a dog to introduce to the house. Want to help?”

“Of course.” They both manage to pull themselves out of bed with Gavin still in his boxers. Really, it’s a triumph. “But I can’t believe you named him Edgar.”

“No way in, no way out.” Ryan chants, taking Gavin’s hand into his own. “Same goes for you, y’know.”

Gavin kisses his cheek, rolling his eyes. “And for some reason, I’m perfectly okay with that.”


End file.
